Nader congratulates, challenges Obama

I love Mr. Nader. I wish we were calling him president. If you are interested in Mr. Nader and his history you can watch "An unreasonable man". It is a pretty good documentary on his life and public service.

Ralph, either join America in working for change or get out of the way. Americans need to come together and do the work needed to restore this Nation. We elected a leader and today everyone is trying to tell him how to do his job. America, take time to enjoy this history that we are a part of, take time to smile, take time to laugh, take time to enjoy your family, and take time to heal the division created. Let our new President-elect form his cabinet and prepare for transition. He faces a daunting task of getting this Nation back on track.

Ralph Nader is responsible for 8 years of George W. Bush. If he hadn't taken votes and support from Al Gore, we would never have had the war, Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld or any of the other arrogance that has sullied our reputation around the world. Nader's selfishness has cost us dearly. It's amazing to hear Nader complain about "the notorious regime of George W. Bush." If he had unselfishly given his support to Gore, it would have never happened.

Thanks Ralph. Some of us still love you!!

A voter from Connecticut

Nadar is right. Simple as that.

No, the Supreme Court who stopped the recount in Florida was responsible for 8 years of George Bush. Gore did actually win Florida, as Gore himself says.

Bribeau... Maybe you should do some fact checking. In the state that decisively made Bush president over Gore (Florida), a poll of Nader voters was done to determine who they would have voted for had they not voted for Nader. 25% said they would have voted for Gore, 38% would have voted for Bush, and the rest would not have voted at all.

It is so easy to blame Nader for all of the failings of George W. Bush. How about blaming the millions of idiots who voted for him? How about blaming Gore for not being the candidate that people wanted? How about blaming the man himself for being the worst leader a "democratic" nation has ever seen? It was during the election between Gore and Bush that I first heard the phrase "voting for the lesser of two evils", and "voting for the candidate you dislike the least". In retrospect, we all wish that the election had gone a different way, but at the time, not many people liked either.

And all that Ralph Nader has done his entire career is work for a change that America needs. Look up vehicle safety standards and Ralph Nader... We wouldn't have crash tests or air bags or safety belts were it not for him. All he wants is to make Americans completely independent from foreign oil while being environmentally savvy through the use of alternative fuels, give people a minimum wage that they can actually live on, ensure that ALL people have quality healthcare, and stop illegal wars that never should have been waged to begin with.

So go ahead and blame Ralph Nader for the problems that America faces now, after 8 years of failed policy, because it is easier to blame him than it is to blame the people truly at fault... The American people.

bribeau, that is such crap....the only people to blame for Bush getting the presidency in 2000 are the Democrats. I'm not surprised to see people still posting stuff like this, though. The Democrats and Republicans have something in common, which is to never take responsibility for their screw-ups.

bribeau, that is such crap....the only people to blame for Bush getting the presidency in 2000 are the Democrats. I'm not surprised to see people still posting stuff like this, though. The Democrats and Republicans have something in common, which is to never take responsibility for their screw-ups.

Gore lost his home state......

Ralph Nader called Obama an "uncle Tom" last night, I hope that that will be the end of his carreer, what an idiot

It's fascinating how many people (and educated folks, no less) continue to contend that Nader is responsible for the tenure of George W. Bush. No one ever blames Mr. Bush for "stealing" votes from Gore. Also, Nader garnered the majority of his support from independents (and a measly 2.7% of the national vote) throughout the 2000 election run and accumulated substantially less (0.7%) in 2004. Thus, are we to blame Nader for George's second term (which would substantiate your claim of 8 years worth of responsibility) as well? Nader is among the few who publicly advocate for Bush's impeachment, which is arguably the most impeachable presidency this country has yet witnessed. In addition, he aims to accomplish a grass roots advancement of progressive ideology. His perspectives and deep knowledge of energy, foreign policy, health-care and education reform, environmental justice issues, and corporate accountability are consistent with the majority of people who label themselves progressive. However, as Nader points out, this progressive constituency rallies behind candidates that are increasingly beholden to the special interests of corporations. For the sake of fact-checking, reference who Obama's campaign financiers were. It's sad to say, but as liberal America continues to back centrist candidates, we will have to wait at least another four years for livable wages, single-payer health care, and the general enhancement of our collective prosperity.

I too wish we were calling Nader the president, but its good that he can not only show support, but also point out what needs to be improved so that Obama can be a great president.

Ralph Nader has always provided a voice for the disenfranchised left. For years Nader has given the disenfranchised left a voice and without him the democrats would continue to take our votes for granted. Obama had to shift to the right to win this election and McCain had to appeal to his base. The democrats never have to appeal to their base. If you can't see this then you haven't been paying attention to real issues in this country. Viva La Ralph!!!

To say that Nader is responsible for Bush's seizure of the White House for the last 8 years is problematically simplistic as best. The roots of the problem lie in the cleverness of the GOP, rampant electoral fraud and voter intimidation, Rupert Murdoch, and the weakness (real and/or perceived) of Gore, Kerry, and the Democratic Party. If the Dem's had someone as cool as Obama 4 or 8 years ago, history would certainly have played out very differently. I'll take Obama over McCain, but Nader is the only one in the race who is really trying to make the changes that we need. Both major parties have long histories of serving corporate interests at the expense of the rest of us. I HOPE OBAMA WILL BREAK THAT CYCLE, but it's too early to be hopeful.

To everyone on the left saying we'll have to wait another four or eight years to get the things this country desperately needs such as universal medicare - wake up! We don't have to wait for anything. Now is the time to organize and demand these things. Obama wants to be a great president. We need to show him how he can actually become a great president by forcing our issues onto the national agenda any way we can. Let's rally a million people to Washington to demand medicare for all!

look at what nader talks about ending corruption in government, holding government responsible, a living wage, energy independence, health care, and many other good points. but, the most important thing is to create another "party"(party is a bad word for what he wants to do.) so we can stop some of the bullshit that happens when only republicans and democrats participate in government.

Well said Gavin. Dont forget to add that the mass media has a huge sway over what the average voter knows about the candidates and the issues we take concern with. Half of what we know about the former candidates lacks substance and has little to no bearing on how they might perform or the policies the put forth. The only way we will ever make any progress in this country in terms of presidential politics and politics in general is if the mass media actually conveys accurate substantive information and does so for ALL candidates. The other necessity is to disconnect the corporate funding of campaigns - - this inherently biases the future policies of any candidate. Until these things happen, our divisive, two-party pseudo-democracy / corporate-ocracy will continue to run our country by selecting our candidates, what we know about them, and controlling thier political agendas. For all who still blame Nader for the outcome of previous elections -- go back to school and learn how to think critically, and then apply that ability to understanding the purpose and mechanics of a democratic political system.

We love you ralph, you are a hero.

I support Ralph Nader. I am waiting to see results from Obama and from the re-activated public that came out to work so hard for him. I wish I could join their cheers, but I need more evidence that the words are backed with courageous actions. Of course I am glad that McCain did not win, but I would vote for the candidate I believe has the right agenda for the United States, and that is Ralph Nader. He is an American hero, I congratulate him for staying in the race. His message to Obama means a lot to me. Today's talk at the National Press Club also reminded me of the potential progress we can expect from Obama's presidency, on important issues such as gun control. The enormous enthusiasm from around the world is also something to make one happy about Obama's victory.

I hope we can look forward to a more vocal public and a more responsible governance. I also hope that Ralph Nader is welcomed into the halls of Congress to give testimony and guidance on vital issue he has studied in depth and with a compassionate heart.

I hope THE PEOPLE use THEIR POWER and stay politically active. I'd like to see the Obama campaign continue to inspire the average citizen to become active in government. Ralph Nader has been inspiring people to form grassroot organizations since the 1960s. We all have to stop bickering and arguing! This is WHY Congress hasn't been able to do THEIR job! Too much bickering! Let's all begin to move forward now that Barack Obama has begun the momentum..let's not lose that! It's WE THE PEOPLE and we should never forget that, Obama and Nader at least agree on that.

I want my heaping helping of "change" and "hope" RIGHT NOW !!!!!!
Part of Obama's victory speech last night was about lowering expectations and that was disappointing. First he says "change has come", then he goes on "It will take longer than a single year or a single term" (to make change happen). He better be serious about the mandate he was elected to carry out. As for the people who still blame Nader for the election theft of 2000 - a simple observation: you can't spoil a stolen election, it's just that simple. I know it feels good to hate Nader and to have a convinient scapegoat to blame for everything under the sun, but you folks ought to stop getting high on hate. 8 years later, irrational Nader bashing is starting to come off like a form of mental illness.
I almost started bawling myself when I saw Jackson and Winfrey crying on tv during Obama's victory speech last night. Lets hope Obama won't be a huge letdown, especially to his supporters/voters.

Nader knows his stuff, but sadly people do not realize this.....

People still love to beat up on Nader for "giving us Bush." Nope: Gore did that and now Gore gets to come out of two tons of s--- smelling like a rose because of his phony concern about the environment despite the fact that Gore didn't give a damn about the racist election tampering in 2000.

Nader doesn't cowtow to the hypocritical liberal-left so they trash him.

Bicycling to the polls after a rough day I considered voting for Obama but Nader has always made more sense than the official candidates so I voted for him again this year as I did in 2000 and 2004. Praise God that one legitimate candidate has the moral courage (plus the necessary resources and support) to tell the truth to this prosperous but ever so sad and self-deceptive nation! In media interviews Nader's manner is often harried and brusk but I don't doubt his personal integrity and his love for the truth.

"He is our first African-American president...and we wish him well. But his choice basically is whether he's going to be Uncle Sam to the people of this country or Uncle Tom to the giant corporations."
Hardly calling our President Elect Uncle Tom. It is a good point by a bright man.